Ayorou's River Market

On Sundays the river brings Ayorou its parliament: the island town upstream of Niamey hosts one of the Niger valley's great markets, where Songhai farmers, Fulani and Tuareg herders and Bozo fishermen converge by pirogue, camel and cart - livestock bawling on the sand, river fish smoking in racks, mats, salt and cloth changing hands in a dozen languages. The river frames everything: pirogue traffic threading the channels, hippos holding the reaches nearby, and the market's spectacle doubling as the valley's social calendar. It is the region's classic excursion.

Highlights

• The Sunday convergence - river peoples arriving by pirogue and camel.
• The livestock sand - herds traded at full voice.
• The river traffic - channels busy with market pirogues.
• The hippo reaches - the Niger's residents near the island.

When to go

Sundays in the November-to-February cool season are the classic window. Arrange the trip through specialist local operators.

Things to know

At the market, etiquette applies: permission before portraits, small notes, and a guide who knows the sand.

Nearby

The river villages, Tillaberi and Niamey downstream.